How to have the Perfect First birthday celebration – Day 1 FTOW#5-WriteTribe

The big ONE

It’s funny how one year seems to go by so quickly and all those late night feeds, evening colic, teething troubles, immunisation schedules and all the hits and misses of the first year soon become a thing of the past. For many parents, the first year is a trying one, particularly for first timers who find everything new and quite unlike what they’ve been brought up to believe. It is equally challenging for parents of second/third children who now have to juggle their time and resources between yet another little one.

Planning to celebrate

Traditionally, the first birthday is a big one, a milestone celebrated in a small, intimate family gathering or a large community celebration .

Marking this milestones varies from having a havan or a religious ceremony to bless the little one and thank the Lord for keeping him blessed, to having a modern day celebration with cake and chips.

But keeping in mind the fact that more often than not families are nuclear with both parents working, many celebrations are held outside the home in a hall or garden or a hired venue with everything outsourced to party planners. But whatever the scale of the celebration whether it is just baby and parents or a huge big hoop-la, what is important is PLANNING.

What to do and what not to do

Do remember that the celebration is all about the baby.

Don’t make baby the parcel passed around by everyone present. Babies are intimidated by strangers.

Do keep baby handling to a minimum and preferably keep him with people he is familiar with.

Do not have balloons that can frighten babies when they go pop

Do have adult food for the guests present- not everyone likes baby mush.

Don’t pop the champagne cork with a noisy flourish but ease it out gently. Loud noises frighten babies. Flying corks are dangerous.

Do have the party early in the afternoon or late in the morning when baby is in a good mood. Celebrations should be short and sweet around two hours at the maximum so that baby remains cheerful and happy while the grown ups are having fun.

Don’t call the entire universe to celebrate your little one’s milestones. Large crowds scare babies and some people find it difficult to say no. This can be burdensome. Have a select guest list of people who mean something to the baby and to whom the baby means something.

Do consider the older children who may just be around : Bubbles and Pinatas are a great way to entertain them.

Finally

Relax – It’s only a party and parties are meant for fun. Don’t work yourself up into a pitch if things don’t go exactly as per schedule. Baby is too small to know the difference anyways.

The last year has been a tumultous year with two new babies joining my family. Today marks the 1st birthday of the second of them. I thought it only fitting to share tips on how to have a perfect first birthday celebration.

As a hands on granny this year has been a challenge helping raise two almost twin babies ( they’re just 5 weeks apart). The older sibling at 3 years had a tough time too – coming to grips with a new sibling. It was also his first year of nursery school. With all this going on, it definitely calls for a celebration!

13 Comments on “How to have the Perfect First birthday celebration – Day 1 FTOW#5-WriteTribe”

People should really focus in not calling the whole universe part. It is a lot of trouble to the family, and like you said, the baby is too small to understand or remember any of this later on. Just the people the baby is comfy with will do. Great tips 🙂 .Dashy recently posted…The Infant – 1 of #Seven Ages

Ahh, trust you Sunita, to come up with the most sensible suggestions for such events! Sadly I did all the wrong things during my kids’ first birthday celebrations, going the extra mile to make myself a bunch of nerves….ohh I shudder to think of those trying times. Now, older and wiser (I hope) I totally agree….keep it simple!Kala Ravi recently posted…Bill please!

I’m quite sure Kala you pulled it off well! And I’m sure you had a blast doing it . I just find nowadays birthday parties are more than cake and chips but there’s fun in a lavish do if you don’t kill your self over it

Visiting after a long time, Sunita! Very handy post for first-time parents! This would’ve been so handy eleven years ago, I tell you! I almost went nodding over everything you have listed out there…the dos and the donts especially!

I couldn’t agree more about passing the baby around. I always kept the passing to a minimum, immediate family only, and sometimes that was a bit much since we’re a large Italian family. I never had a problem with the balloons. Again, large Italian family. We’re loud. 🙂

Who am I?

A proud Mumbai Mummy who always sees the humour in life. When others made cupcakes, this mummy made banana fritters.
And now that her birds have flown the nest, she has more time to indulge in her passions of reading, writing, traveling and cooking.
That's when she's not busy chasing her children and grandchildren who love chasing her all over the place!